Walking on ice cubes?

What a week for careful walking! The blizzards of Christmas and early January left a lot of snow on sidewalks and side streets. Several lots never cleared their sidewalks; it is almost impossible to do so now. So walking to work already meant being more attentive than usual.

Then came several days of freezing fog followed by freezing drizzle. For two days everything was covered with close to a half inch of ice. Thank goodness for Yaktrax! However, my Yaktrax were showing wear, so after John did a bit of repair work, I ordered a new pair. (Is that order enough to ward off the winter gods and mean no more snow and ice?) Every step was now deliberate.

Then yesterday afternoon the temperature rose and the ice began dropping off the branches. The sidewalks were covered with ice cubes! Really. They were even the same size. Amazingly, those ice cubes made the walking much easier. The crunching sound was fun, too.

So now what? It rained last night and the temperature has stayed at 35 Fahrenheit so there are puddles - and still icy spots. More snow is predicted. Sigh. I am really looking forward to clear pavement so I can stride out not worrying about every step.

Snow - again!

As I write this, the wind continues to blow the snow into huge drifts as the temperature drops. It is now -8 and headed lower. The college closed the campus yesterday about noon and remained closed today. In 20 years I've never seen it close down like this but the students don't come until next week, so it is easier to do.



This third big storm of the season started with a beautiful, fluffy snow due to the cold temperatures. Then came the wind. It is always amazing how it can blow for hours (days?) without blowing itself out. With all the snow on the ground from the three big storms and several minor snowfalls, drifting is a problem. About noon today the snowplows were taken off the highways. Now that is serious.



I didn't venture outside at all today. So I have only two photos taken from inside. A couple of should haves... should have taken a picture of the cleared sidewalk Tuesday afternoon. Pavement was even visible in places with snow 18+ inches high on either side. Today there isn't even a hint of where the sidewalk should be in front of the house. Should have taken these photos BEFORE sunset... and checked the auto setting before snapping!




The drift on our front porch is the prettiest. There are three nice big rose bushes just beyond the railing.




This is the house across the street, undeniably the nicest looking house in the neighborhood. The owner is a real detail person so it always looks great. Notice the amount of snow on the right side and then note the bare spot at the left edge. Our sidewalk SHOULD be in the foreground.



This is the back yard. Just this side of the bird feeder there is hardly any snow. The black 'spots' on the shed doors are at least three feet above ground level. Good thing we put the snow shovels and blower in the garage, though the drifts there are several feet high too.



If this weather pattern continues, it could be a tough semester. Probably half of my students usually commute, so there will be lots of missed classes. Since my students need to be in class in order to prepare for their field experiences, it could be interesting. I have to continue to teach those who are in class, but those who miss might not be ready for their practicum sessions. They can't be penalized for not driving on icy, snowy roads. What a dilemma. Is it too much to hope for a quiet rest of the winter?

Gromit's Florida Adventure

As you can see by the colors on this fire hydrant, I took another trip with Marilyn and John. After flying back from Oregon into the remnants of a Christmas blizzard, we spent two days at the Super 8 motel near the Omaha airport waiting for the roads to clear. Then after just two nights at home, we flew to Melrose, Florida to spend some time with John's dad.


Florida, you say? Sunshine and warmth? Think again! Not this year. It was mostly sunny but COLD. Several nights were in the 20s with daytime highs barely reaching the low 40s. BRR. With no central heating, all house occupants were grateful for the wood stove, the propane room size heater, and electric blankets. We did bundle up in every layer we brought for walks - note that all I had was a fleece vest besides my fur! For several walks I traveled in John's pocket.




It was actually hard to find a good spot to take my picture with Florida flora. The light was always tricky but this photo is okay.




This plant was in the yard of a nearby house. Since Marilyn is just about 5' tall, you can see that the leaves are really big! After night temperatures in the high 20s those big leaves just wilted. Just because something is big doesn't prevent it from being wimpy!



Can you believe that Marilyn and John wanted my to meet an alligator? This is more 'up close and personal' than I wanted - until I discovered it wasn't alive! It was stone. Whew!


Have you ever taken a picture of a picture? John did! This is a painting of the Florida house back when it wasn't totally surrounded by trees and bushes. It is virtually impossible to get a photo of the house now! The front of the house is facing left.


We flew back to Omaha and then drove home on January 6 under clear, sunny skies. Oh, did I forget to mention that the temperature was about +5? Still, that was better than what happened the next day - ANOTHER blizzard. That's three major storms since early December. GRR.

Snow

While in Oregon, we kept a weather watch on Nebraska for our return flight. By about Monday we decided to make a motel reservation for the Super 8 near the Omaha airport 'just in case' we didn't want to drive the 2.5 hours back to Wayne. As the week wore on, we realized that was one of our smarter moves! Anyone watching the national news this past week knows that a MAJOR blizzard hit the plains states. Here's our story!

Checking weather.com regularly let us know that getting into Denver for the first leg of the trip wouldn't be a problem and it wasn't. Surprisingly, flying into Omaha wasn't a problem either. We were a little late, but that was due more to transferring luggage from a cancelled flight than the snow and wind. As we touched down in Omaha, the tires made a bit of a squeal and it seemed to take longer than normal to slow down enough to taxi to the gate. And then there was this prop jet at our gate. Later we found out that plane had been rolled in and out of that gate several times... don't know the whole story. Anyway, we sat in about 6" of snow while that plane was wheeled back from the gate into an area called the 'alley' so that we could pull in. After about 25-30 minutes of waiting (well within the new 3-hour limit to be imposed in the future but long enough with the jet fuel fumes...), we pulled into the gate and de-planed.


Our plan was to find some food to take with us to the motel. So who would've guessed that all the food places outside the secure area would be closed? After walking to the far end of the terminal, we found a couple of bagels and cream cheese to take with us for our supper. Okay, it sort of made up for the amount we'd eaten over the last week! Then we called for the motel shuttle and soon were checked into our warm room. Cable TV was a real treat for us since we have only an antenna at home. Having the little Asus computer and an iTouch allowed us to check weather and road reports for the expected trip home the next day. It didn't look good...

After sleeping in we headed for the 'free' breakfast. Lots of white flour concoctions, a yogurt, juice, and coffee filled us up. Even though it didn't look that bad outside, we knew the roads were slick even where cleared because of the rain and ice that preceded the snow. What we didn't know was what the roads were REALLY like away from the city. The state road report had postings from Christmas morning and it wasn't possible to tell if they were still current. So, we decided to stay another night. An early decision was necessary because the motel had only five rooms to sell for the night. Back to the room, the computer, and HGTV! Oh yes, I got out the needles and yarn and got quite a bit done on the sock I am knitting!

Mid-afternoon we took the shuttle back to the airport for a couple of tasks: food and car. The other shuttle occupant had been at the motel since Wednesday waiting to fly out for a two week vacation in Vietnam. His rebooked flight for 6:30 on Saturday was delayed until 9:30 which meant he would miss all his connections. So, he was rebooked again for Sunday. Poor guy was spending way too much of his Vietnamese vacation in the Super 8! After eating a late lunch and picking up a sandwich for later, we hopped on the parking lot shuttle to dig out the van. Surprisingly, that wasn't very hard! A big pickup or two had blocked a lot of the snow. We drove carefully back to the motel with just a couple of hiccups. The driveway into the motel REALLY needed plowing, a car had stopped right in front of the driveway entrance, and then a father was walking in the road with his two young daughters. With about 8" of loose snow in the road and two 90 degree turns, you would think keeping an eye out for cars approaching would be a good idea...

More cable TV, computer time, knitting, sleeping, and that wonderful motel breakfast... then we headed out. Instead of taking the two-lane highway through the hills north of Omaha, we chose to drive the main roads right through town. For the first few miles it was packed snow, then wet roads (brine???), then basically dry roads with some blowing snow. Driving was fine until the last 15 miles on Hwy. 15. There was blowing snow and several places where the drifts narrowed the road to barely one lane. It was not a lot of fun when that occured just below the crest of a hill and we couldn't see if there was oncoming traffic. We finally made it home to a cleared driveway! Our usual lawn mower/snow blower help for vacations had blown the driveway and sidewalks yesterday and it was still clear enough today! By the way the big towns on either side of us got 18.9 and 20.7 inches of snow, so we guess that's about what we got too. Here are some photos from around the house.
This is John blowing out the snowplow residue. Note the height of the pile of snow in front of the snow blower!











This was taken from inside the house. It's a pretty drift!

Pacific Pilgrimage

Whenever we get to Oregon, we try to spend couple of days at the beach. Usually that is Cannon Beach, the place I spent two weeks every summer of my childhood. Since visits are often at Christmas time the weather can be variable, to say the least. One year we hiked Tillamook Head in shirtsleeves but not so this year! Rain and wind with two short glimpses of sun were what we faced today.

Timing was all wrong when we went for a walk towards Haystack Rock as the brisk tailwind turned into a steady, wind-driven rain!



Hi! This is Gromit, Marilyn's traveling companion. I jumped into her pocket with the camera as she headed out for a walk. Here are some photos we took BEFORE the rain blew in.

Here I am with Ecola State Park (Bird Rocks???) and Tillamook Head behind me. Do you like my winter sweater that Marlyn made me? I really needed it!







I jumped back into Marilyn's pocket as we walked south. Just as the rain started we took this picture of Haystack Rock.


Later, after drying some clothes by the gas fireplace in the hotel, we hoppped in the cute little red rental car and drove south to Tillamook. Marilyn watched the road carefully with the eye of a bicyclist. Hmm. Does she really want to do a bike tour on this road?



On the way we stopped at the viewpoint on Neahkahnie Mountain. The view is always awesome and we had just a bit of sunshine. It was really windy and Marilyn had to hang on to keep me from flying off. Can you tell I was a bit nervous?

Marilyn and John went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and spent some time watching the packing process on the self-guided tour. They also ate grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream. They left me in the car as guard. Hmm. I think they got the better deal.




On the way back we had another glimpse of the sun. For about five minutes we drove right next to a beautiful full rainbow. Part of the time there was a second, double rainbow. That pot of gold should be hiding somewhere IN our car...





Thanks for that great description of our day, Gromit. It's a good thing that we have a little computer that you can use easily!

I'll continue...




We ended the day by going to Ecola Seafoods for Dungeness crab cocktails and smoked salmon jerky and the grocery for yummy tangerines to add to our Tillamook cheese and crackers. Shortly after settling into our room with the cozy gas fireplace, the wind and rain returned with a vengeance. The weather prediction is for snow over the coastal range so our drive to Portland will probably be the longer but lower elevation route along the Columbia River.

A hint of winter to come

Mother Nature is amazing! After a beautiful, clear fall day - clear blue skies, golden sun-ripened crops being harvested, some green left in the trees but also some gold and red - we awoke to a dusting of snow. It was a gorgeous day for our drive to Lincoln and back, but as we neared home at sunset, the low cloud bank in the west was obvious. Within an hour the wind came up, leaves rustled and the temperatures dropped. While the roses are hardy, the rest of the annuals in the garden have ended their glorious show.


Gromit here... I jumped outside to see this snow. There isn't much, but my favorite summer flowers got nipped by Jack Frost. Can you see how dark the leaves are? Their edges are curled, too. Good thing Marilyn made me a fleece vest to keep me warm!

Changing Seasons

Fall has been really nice - until late this week. Now the wind is howling and rain is common. The high temperature was only in the 40s. So, it is a good time to reflect on the nice days of last weekend.

We took the pop-up and the bikes to Lewis and Clark State Park just west of Yankton, South Dakota Saturday afternoon. Unlike summer weekends, the park was quiet and the bike paths almost empty. With leaves turning, crops ready for harvest, and blue skies - it was feast for the eyes. The temperatures were perfect for cycling, with the increasing winds on Sunday the only downside. Here are some photos...

Note Gromit's ears. It was windy!
John's latest bike - a Lightning P-38 clone.
Marilyn - is pink as visible as day-glo green?
A soybean field in shades of green and yellow, not quite ready for harvest.
Gromit playing in a soybean field ready for harvest.